As a secular "non-profit," the YMCA has an unfair competitive advantage over private gyms, and they have massively profited from gains in largely donated urban real-estate, selling out to developers instead of developing affordable housing. 

Urban profiteering aside, the province of BC has given them a non-exclusive commercial tenure on crown land adjacent to Camp Thunderbird, for which the province realizes essentially nothing as a return. 

So when the province has raised rents on residential crown land 180%, how is it that they continue to permit the YMCA to exclusively occupy crown land under a non-exclusive commercial tenure, and exclude South Island Recreation Association (or anyone else) from accessing both the land and Glintz Lake, which is a public lake?

Is it because they see our free youth programs as competition?

Do we need to engage in political protest by picketing their "non-conforming" gate on Glintz Lake Road, (which is a public highway listed in the provincial road register), to get the attention of the authorities that are allowing this?

Terrance Martin

South Island Recreation Association